Famous Baseball Player Dog Names

Introduction

Dog owners who enjoy baseball likely know that the pastime works two-fold. On one hand, you can get your dog outside, have it field a few grounders, chase deep balls into the outfield or just jog with you around the bases. On the other, you can relax with your companion at home and veg out on hours of game time, howling at the screen in tandem over runs scored or errors committed. But for some, it might not be enough, or for others who are less able-bodied, not even a possibility, and for those people, you can always elevate your game by giving your dog a famous baseball name, one that will stand with you in memory as long as it’s already stood the test of time, one that hits your love for your furry friend and baseball in one sweet swing.

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Famous Baseball Player Dog Names in Pop Culture

Featured Famous Dog with a Famous Baseball Player Name

Hercules

Of all the dogs that have existed in pop culture, many have been small to medium-sized and adored for either their cuteness, heroic acts or their comical behavior. On the opposite end of the spectrum, however, is The Beast, the gargantuan and mystical canine villain of 1993’s timeless baseball classic and coming-of-age story, The Sandlot.

While many of the most imaginative and over-the-top scenes that took place in the movie were largely done with a series of giant puppets designed to look like a monstrous version of an actual canine, there were scenes that called for a real, larger-than-life dog to stand in, take commands, and behave naturally. Two different dogs were used during shooting, both of them mammoth English Mastiffs who played the role of intimidator, misunderstood villain, and gentle giant to perfection.

Although not as common as nicknames like The Babe, The Bambino or the Colossus of Clout, one of the characters in the movie refers to Babe Ruth, known as the greatest ballplayer of all time, as “the Hercules of Baseball,” thus creating a perfect name for the hulking dog that ferociously snatches away every ball that comes anywhere close to his fenced yard. His most memorable scenes are still up for debate, as the mid-air ball-snatching and erector-set-destroying images of the puppet head are easily the hardest to shake for anyone still living in fear, but the face-off and ensuing chase between the real life Hercules and Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez can easily be attributed the greatest moment in baseball/dog history, especially when it culminates with the boys saving the dog from a toppled fence and being rewarded with one of the biggest, sloppiest face licks in film history.

Hercules may not have been the biggest dog in Hollywood in terms of either size or notoriety (although he was certainly in the running in terms of size), but he did help to cross the line between a love for baseball and a love for dogs. As far as what documentation exists, neither of the two dogs played many, if any, other notable parts in movies or television, let alone anything that reached the cult classic status that The Sandlot did. But while these dogs’ Hollywood careers may have been short-lived, they certainly cemented their place in history in film, sports fandom, and dog lovers alike, all thanks to a terrorizing and eventually lovable character, who in the end (spoiler alert) becomes the Sandlot’s mascot.

Famous Baseball Players Dog Name Considerations

While attributing player names verbatim could easily cover a vast amount of potential dog names, it’s important to consider various aspects of the dog’s color, breed, and personality type if you’re looking to derive any type of fun and/or depth out of the naming process.

For instance, in terms of color, fans of the Boston Red Sox who have a dog with a black and white speckled coat could aptly use Boyd, after pitcher Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd. Owners with dogs that have feet that are a different color from their legs or the rest of their body could roll with Joe, Joey, or Jackson after “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.

Those who have specific breeds could also take advantage of the breadth of historical names baseball holds, such as calling your Bernese Mountain dog Bernie after Bernie Williams or calling your Bulldog “Baby” after Orlando Cepeda, nicknamed “Baby Bull.”

Of course, personality is not to be ignored either, and out of all options may provide the best depth of all. Yankees fans who have dogs that also enjoy fishing would be hard-pressed not to use at least some part of Jim “Catfish” Hunter or Lawrence “Yogi” Berra.

Regardless of what you choose, whether you’d just like to name your dog after your favorite player, similarities or not, or reach into something deeper to form inside jokes or test friends’ baseball knowledge, naming your dog after one of the greats will undoubtedly be a great base from which to start your relationship.